All Hours

One Night in South Beach #6

by Andie J. Christopher

A RESTLESS ROMANTIC

Felix Pascual misses being someone's boyfriend, which is why he's willing to get set up by the only Hernandez he'll admit to liking (out loud)—Lola. But when he gets to the restaurant, he finds that Lola has matched him up with none other than Joaquin Delgado, a man who has never shown one iota of interest in him. And Joaquin doesn't seem any more open to Felix's unique charms this time around . . .

A SKEPTICAL SUITOR

Joaquin will do anything for his grandmother. Even give a foul-mouthed, flashy Puerto Rican caterer who gets on his nerves—and makes him thirsty all at once—a chance to run his kitchen after he's injured. After all, it's just a few weeks. And he won't be tempted since he's given up on dating anyway . . .

A MATCH MADE IN SOUTH BEACH

But Felix won't give up without the satisfaction of getting Joaquin to admit that he wants him. Felix is stubborn, and his growing desire for Joaquin is about proving a point. After all, it can't possibly turn into something real . . .

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Workplace Romance, Workplace, M M Romance, LGBT, Contemporary

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2019

Reviews

[Andie Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because I wrote it, and because Felix and Joaquin are my favorites, and we get to see the whole South Beach crew having their HEAs. <3 <3 <3

[Maria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this foodie romance and latest story in the One Night in South Beach series! Joaquin is a grumpy bear of a chef and being forced out of his kitchen to recover from an injury is a painful experience, especially since a family friend that he's annoyingly attracted to, Felix, is going to fill in for him. Felix has had his eye on Joaquin for a while but never thought Joaquin would give him the time of day. Now things are decidedly different and a heated affair between the two is inevitable. Felix is a more lighthearted character than Joaquin but he understands how Joaquin feels about relinquishing his kitchen. He's able to be supportive while at the same time offering suggestions that would improve the overall run of the restaurant. They have both had some tough family issues to deal with over the years, things they are able to share with each other that bring them closer together. Sexy scenes, emotional conversations, and a sense of having finally found Mr. Right and not just Mr. For Right Now. It's an enjoyable and entertaining read!

A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a dumb breaking up with you for your own good plot point near 75% in the book, and being honest, I was real mad about it. Because I really, really liked this! It was very enjoyable to read. And luckily, it was more or less a non-event in the grand scheme of things, but authors, can we please just collectively retire this particular choice? It sucks. It doesn't help your couple. It just makes readers mad. You don't want to make readers mad, do you?

I didn't think so.

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not all that impressed by the story, it was an ok, fast and easy read. But I think that I did not feel the chemistry between the characters, both were own kind of annoying, boring and insufferable.

I got this eARC from Netgalley

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC of All Hours by Andie J. Christopher from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This m/m romance was a quick, sweet read. Felix’s sister is married to Javier’s cousin so they’ve known each other for a while, but hadn’t interacted much. Javier’s grandmother tries to set up Felix and Javier, but it doesn’t really work. Javier gets injured and needs surgery so Felix takes over his restaurant while he recovers. Javier gets pants feelings for Felix pretty quickly and they decide to have a fling. They both catch feelings and there’s a dust up with an evil ex that threatens their happily-ever-after.

I don’t always enjoy chef romances because I don’t get a lot out of the food descriptions, but this book didn’t talk much about the food so I appreciated that. The sexytimes were hot and sweet and gave them both heart feelings in addition to the pants feelings. I wish it had been longer and gotten more into the heads and hearts of the main characters, but this is book 6 in a series so maybe the previous books introduced them more. I will be seeking out at least a couple of those books because I really liked both of their sisters.

This was my first book by this author, and I was excited to read it. She cracks me up on Twitter. I really enjoyed her voice and the tone of this book. I give it 4 stars.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Hours has things heating up and not just in the kitchen. This is a sweet story of two men finding that they’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places and never expecting to find it with the other. Felix is an intuitive chef with his own catering business. Joaquin is a classically trained chef with a Michelin star restaurant. When these two get together the things they cook up are delicious. I really like these two guys and loved watching them find each other.

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this quick read. Lola was fully back on her matchmaking BS loool.

Felix and Joaquin were so different, personality wise but worked so well together. I loved that they were both so connected by food and cooking, but had different approaches to it. Joaquin and Felix fighting their attraction made for some great scenes cuz lol they were so hopeless.

I felt a bit iffy on how Felix and Joaquin framed Felix's ex being non monogamous. Felix admits he knew Roman was all about open relationships. So I didnt feel like Felix had a right to be upset when he already knew this going in. Him hoping that his ex would only want to be with him and not doing so cant be seen as Roman's fault. Roman wasn't a good guy because he did try to blackmail Felix to get him to stop seeing Joaquin but he wasn't some villain because he was into being open in relationships. Joaquin, when confronting Roman about the blackmailing says he isnt one to judge based on that yet basically told Roman he should have wanted to be with Felix alone??? like...the man told you who he was upfront.

I also felt like Felix could have just told Joaquin about Roman blackmailing him. The breakup was unnecessary because Felix felt he was doing the best thing to protect Joaquin's restaurant by ending it??? The breakup and makeup was also wrapped up pretty quickly, so quickly that Felix did not need to even break up with Joaquin in the first place >.>

overall i enjoyed this.

[Escape_in_a_Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick and cute read. I was expecting something a little angsty with some build up to the relationship based on the synopsis. This was more of an insta-love due to forced proximity trope. Both of the MC’s were likable and overall I did enjoy their story.

I believe this is the first romance I have read that features a Puerto Rican MC or a Cuban MC so that was a great change.

*I received a complimentary advance copy of this title which I requested from the publisher via NetGalley. All comments/opinions are my own.

[gimmethosebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot - full of heart and humor and not too much angst. I loved seeing people from the other books again, and Lola is always a delight.

I would’ve preferred a different dark moment/aftermath...maybe one where they worked it out together. Also more food descriptions so I can drool over the flavors and foods, please!

100% always rec an Andie J Christopher story

I got this from netgalley etc etc

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a delight. It was my favorite since book 3, and I think it capped off the series perfectly.

Joaquin Delgado comes from a very big, boisterous, wealthy, Cuban-American family. He thinks he has everything he needs in life. His toxic, homophobic father is finally out of his life for good. His mom is in recovery from her pill addiction, and he's also made strides in being closer to his younger sister. He owns his own Michelin star rated restaurant in Miami, called Cielo, which has always been his dream, and he runs a tight ship in his kitchen. He might yell at his staff a little more than he should, but they all knew what they were signing up for. Now, he just needs to convince his abuela, Lola, that he doesn't need a boyfriend, and his life is fine the way it is. As if she'd ever take that for an answer.

Felix Pascual and his sister grew up in NYC, and moved to Miami as adults. They are Puerto Rican, and Felix portrays his heritage well in his cooking. He has just gotten out of a very unhealthy relationship, and he's not sure if he's ready to move on to someone new yet. He's a fantastic caterer, but he's had thoughts of opening a restaurant. Of course it would never be anything fancy and untouchable like Cielo, though. He would want it to be more homey, and have a more comfortable feel. After all he's a great cook, but he's not a classically trained chef like Joaquin. He's always been attracted to Joaquin, but he doesn't think Joaquin could be interested in him. When Joaquin injures his shoulder, and needs help in Cielo's kitchen, Lola calls Felix to fill in for him. Joaquin isn't a fan of the idea at first, but Felix impresses him enough to let him stay and help.

Joaquin and Felix had a strong attraction, once they really let themselves SEE each other. They each had wrong impressions of the other from interactions in the past at family gatherings, etc. (Felix's sister is married to Joaquin's cousin, and their story is book 2 in the series.) I liked that they were both finally willing to see beyond the surface of each other, and ended up loving what they found. Their connection was hot, and they still managed to ease into it over time, which I enjoyed.

Joaquin really had to pay more attention to his body and taking care of himself, as he's edging toward 40. Being in the kitchen 24/7 just isn't the same as it was in his 20's. He also had to learn to open himself up to the people who love him. He had walls so high, and never really learned to express his emotions, other than anger. Felix had to learn to take care of his emotional well-being, and self esteem. His ex (who was a TOTAL narcissistic nightmare. Ew.) did a number on him with backhanded compliments, and faint praise, and infidelity. Felix had to figure out what his true worth was before he could believe in what he and Joaquin were building.

This is the final book in this series, and I really loved watching these two awesome men get their HEA. There was a great epilogue that ended things so well, and I just enjoyed it so much. I'm looking forward to what comes next from the author!

ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club

[Sera Taíno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book, excited because it featured Puerto Rican leads. Given the growing interest in diverse characters, I was thrilled to give this book a try.

There are many aspects of the novel to recommend it. The characters are likeable and there is a lot of chemistry between them. They have great dialogue and their motivations are clear. Joaquin is a work-a-holic who could use some training in employee motivation and retainment. Felix is getting over a broken heart and plan on moving to New York for a new chance at life. There’s no question that the conflicts in this story promised to be strong, internal ones and I was ready for it.

However, I quickly got lost. Part of the problem was certainly me – perhaps I should have read the other installments of the series. There were a lot of assumptions about things I should have known but simply didn’t. For example, what could have been a great chance to reinforce the nature and importance of extended family in Latinx culture ended up being a kind of name-dump because I missed out on the earlier installments. As a result, I couldn’t assign importance to anyone outside of the main pairing and Lola.

This carries me to my next major point. These are Puerto Rican/Cuban/Caribbean folks. But I just didn’t feel it. Like, what about the food and the language, the code switching and the Spanglish, the funny habits and quirks that make us who we are? There is the fact that there is no one way to be Latinx but perhaps a concession would have made me happy. For example, Lola is a transplant – what else is she besides match maker? Again, I lay the blame squarely on myself, for reading the books out of order so I’m going to assume that her background, as well as others, was addressed and developed in those books.

Structurally, the beats were good and the leads adorable together. I felt the conflict could have been solved with a quick conversation. Roman was not a formidable villain and was almost cartoonish. However, he was intriguing because he served to make Felix desirable and sometimes, that’s a goal in itself.

Overall, I'm giving it a 4 because it's a quick, fun and engaging read that you'll certainly enjoy more if you’ve done the work of reading the other books. Now I’m off to look for a book featuring Lola 😊.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Emmalita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because Andie J. Christopher is an author I follow on Twitter, but I haven’t read one of her books yet. There is a lot to enjoy about this book. Christopher writes well and I enjoyed most of the book. The issue I had with All Hours is a personal bette noir and one with which a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem.

Felix Pascual is struggling to get over the end of a relationship that wasn’t much of a relationship. Joaquin Delgado has been so focused on his restaurant and maintaining his Michelin star that he has had no time for relationships. Though they are not related, they share a common extended family through the marriage of Felix’s sister and Joaquin’s cousin. They know each other, but not well. Felix is also a chef, but he owns a small catering company and has no formal training. Joaquin looks down on Felix a bit.

For reasons, and because of Joaquin’s grandmother, Felix takes over Joaquin’s kitchen when Joaquin suffers an injury that keeps him out of the kitchen. Their attraction flares and first they decide to have a fling, and then they grow into something more. The development of their relationship and the way that they fit together when they expect to clash is lovely.

Towards the end of the book, Felix does something that I hate. There is an external threat to the relationship and Felix, after thinking about it, decides to lie to Joaquin and break up with him to protect him from the external threat. He actually considers being honest and then rejects that option. I passionately hate this trope. I struggled to finish the book once Felix decides to lie to Joaquin for his own good. This may not be a trope that bothers you. If not, you may enjoy the drama that comes with it. It’s not a bad book, I just don’t like this particular trope.

This book didn’t work for me, but I like the author’s writing and I’ll pick up another of her books at some point.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC courtesy of Netgalley

The copyright date in this ARC is 2017, although the copyright page says "First Electronic Edition: July 2019"

Usually happy Felix is down of late, having recently been dumped by his long-time lover. Lola, the matriarch of his family, wants to set him up with her grandson, a famous chef and restaurant owner (I think; it was hard to tell from the way this scene played out that this was Lola's intention, although that's what it says happened in the blurb). Uptight, driven Joaquin isn't interested, knowing that he has to keep his focus to ensure that his award-winning restaurant maintains its standards. But when Joaquin has to have surgery, Lola arranges for Felix to take his place in Joaquin's Michelin star rated restaurant (which seemed more than a bit hard to believe). And lighthearted Felix brings a new, friendlier, more cooperative spirit to the place, a spirit which Joaquin finds annoying and insulting—but still, ends up himself wanting for his own.

Christopher's narrative style is far more focused on telling rather than showing, which is not my reading preference. I also found myself confused about just what was happening at times, and why—gaps in time, unexplained plot developments, changes in the characters' relationship that seem to take place off page rather than on. Also, I've only read one previous book in the South Beach series, and this one contains a LOT of references to previous books and their protagonists; all the explaining and backstory dumps left far less room for Felix and Joaquim's relationship, which was what I wanted to see.

I did enjoy experiencing the Florida Latinx community, which is rarely depicted in romance novels.

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying this was my first read by this author. So, I'll start with what I think worked and why. First, I think the plot and the location for the story worked. It was nice seeing a Hispanic (Puerto Rican) m/m romance front and center for a change, especially with the locale being South Beach. It said the stage for sexy Not to mention the some find the art of cooking extremely sexy. All the story revolves around the food industry, it is not heavy on "food-speak".



The author provided quite a bit of backstory and reflection, which was great because I had not read other books in the series. What didn't work for me was the lack of angst, fluid timelines, stilted dialogue and creating characters whose actions mirrored the descriptions provided.

I think you want a quick, insta-love, romance with a little steam, this book is definitely for you.
(I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

[Tina Hobbs Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Joaquin should be furious with the other man. But, instead, he found himself on the verge of wrapping his hand around the back of the other man's neck and kissing him in front of his staff."

*On Fire* The chemistry between Joaquin and Felix is palpable. For the record, I LOVE the One Night in South Beach series, big time. This addition did not disappoint.

Felix has seen Joaquin before and knows they will not be compatible. That is until Joaquin is in need of Felix's help. And Joaquin sees Felix in a whole new light!

As usual, Lola is playing matchmaker, and she is never wrong!

Great story and characters!

[Sue Ouellet-Cofsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love it. I love MM and I love restaurant/cooking/chef stories. It was just okay for me.. The chemistry between Joaquin and Felix was pretty good with some decent steam....it just felt forced I guess. It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye but also seemed to be super repetitive with alot of the details. Perhaps some parts needed more fleshing out. I may want to head back to other One Night stories though. Seems there is alot there to delve into in some of her other stories.

[Marie Patlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites in the series, in terms of characters. I want the world for both Joaquin and Felix. And together? Ugh, I loved it. My only complaint was the weird, unexpected jump that Felix took as the book’s conflict. It came too late to make sense and was done so halfheartedly that it didn’t feel necessary. The conflict could have been approached differently, that’s all. But I seriously love these two. ❤️

What a perfect ending to the series!

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Queermisia mentioned
Emotionally abusive relationship recounted
Childbirth mentioned

[Griffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the premise, but the book doesn't quite live up to it. (For clarity, the protagonists are Felix and Joaquin. The blurb here says Felix and Max.)

The storytelling style is more tell than show and the first two chapters are rife with so many clunky insertions of backstory that it reads as very juvenile writing. A line of introspection or character action is often followed by paragraphs of backstory. For instance, Joaquin notices his grandmother is in his restaurant and then weirdly ruminates about all the people in the family she's set up by playing matchmaker for paragraphs afterward before returning to the present. It's obviously meant for the reader to understand that LOLA IS A MATCHMAKER AND IS HERE TO MAKE SOME MATCHES, but it's so heavy-handed and awkward—my grandmother set up my parents, but every time I see her I don't think about that and randomly wonder if she's going to set me up too—that it was hard to get immersed in the story. As a reader, I don't want the characters to explain the story or the supporting cast to me.

The characters themselves are one-dimensional. Roman comes off as one mustache twirl away from being a Scooby-Doo villian. Their dialogue is often stilted, seemingly designed more to further the plot than to sound like real people talking, and I cringed in secondhand embarrassment more than once. The way they behave often doesn't make sense and is inconsistent with who we're repeatedly told the characters are. Joaquin is a hard-ass Gordon Ramsey, supposedly, but he cries at the drop of a hat. Felix and Joaquin supposedly intensely dislike each other, except we never actually see that and they're hot for each other the minute they're alone. Felix is a caterer, but he is totally the best pick to run a high end exclusive restaurant because Joaquin hurt his shoulder too much to oversee his employees despite being perfectly capable of coming into the restaurant all the time anyway. The conflict at the end doesn't make sense at all and could be solved by one line of dialogue or Joaquin using his brain, but none of that happens for no real logical sense within the narrative. The story just needs some angst and uncertainty and villainy.

In fact, everything about the story serves the plot instead of the other way around. It read like a group of people showing up to make a movie without an actual script, just the blurb the studio wants to use to sell it, and being told to wing it.

It didn't read like a stand-alone novel, either. I'm not sure if it was meant to be, but there were so many references to other characters and events that it felt like it wasn't, in which case all the backstory was even more unnecessary.

If you're looking for a quick, tropey romance that you don't want to think about, this will probably work for you. But if you're looking for something else, you might want to give this a pass.

[etoile1996 · Rating 4 out of 5]

the latest one night in south beach release, all hours, brings us felix and joaquin's story. the grouchy restauranteur meets his match with the charming and outgoing chef. when joaquin is injured on the job and needs some help from his friends, he begrudgingly asks felix.

but when felix keeps joaquin's restaurant running smoothly, joaquin is surprised and a little bit put out. he's been overstretched but no one likes to feel easily replaced. as they work together the chemistry and sparks between them ignite to a full flame.

this story is steamy and sweet and wrapped into this crazy big loving family in south beach.

**all hours will publish on july 30, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical press) in exchange for my honest review.

[Xan]

Content Warnings Emotionally abusive controlling ex resurfaces and is abusive again. References to abusive queer hating family. References to parental addiction. References to childbirth. MC with low self esteem. Internalized ableism around temporary disability. Fat antagonism. Non-monogamy was framed as not okay, cheating, and cruelty towards your partner. Sex on the page.

Review to come.

[River Benson · Rating 2 out of 5]

this felt like a lot of summing up of the romances in books 1-5, and I didn't feel a lot of connection to the MCs. the action seemed based mostly on what was convienent for the author rather than being character led, and anything that seemed like it would have some resonance or consequence was solved within a page if not a paragraph. well-written on a sentence level, but pretty flat.

[Nicole Pinto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok for me. I loved the chemistry between the two leads but everything happened very quickly and was wrapped up a bit too neatly for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.